Because You Loved Me
by Fortywinx
Summary: A song-fic about the time when Zidane was trying to make his way back to Dagger after being trapped in the Iifa Tree at the end. (WARNING: Altho it doesn't directly spoil the actual end of FF9, may give away certain parts of the ending.)


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Because You Loved Me…

The scorching heat burned down, and made the endless golden sands shimmer with light and heat haze.

Light blonde hair turned dark by the sweat which saturated it, red blistered flesh which flamed and itched and aching limbs, heavy and sore. A pair of determined blue eyes fixed on the distant horizon as the traveller walked on with steady strides, and shifting sand causes him to fall to his knees. He tries to stand, but again the sand moves beneath his feet, and this time he falls flat on his face.

This was Zidane after several months. He didn't know how long exactly, the time spent trapped in the Iifa tree seemed to meld into one long, agonising silence in the darkness.

He shuddered involuntarily, and again tried to pull himself to his feet but this time his muscles just wouldn't respond. Limbs trembling with fatigue, he beat the sand with a loosely gripped fist.

He knew he couldn't stop now because the urge to just lie down and die would be too great. The determined part of his mind was fighting his defeated body, urging him to get up.

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You've got to get up. If you keep going you'll see her again. If you keep going you can hold her in your arms again. C'mon, you've come this far, don't let it defeat you…

Zidane smiled wryly to himself, parched lips cracking as he did so.

Yes he'd come this far, although he'd had some help. Keeping her pictured firmly in his mind had helped. Singing their song had helped take his mind off the pain, and made him want to be with her even more, but right now it hurt too much to even think of _that _song.

Pulling a canteen of water from his belt he took a small gulp of the water and swallowed it gratefully, and cleared his throat. Maybe singing as he walked would help… and thinking of her. He dragged himself to his feet.

A cool breeze caused the filmy white curtains to wave and dance at the open window. The girl turned away from the beautiful day outside her window, and walked silently across the wooden floor to the large grand piano nearby.

Her slender fingers danced across the keys, playing out the beginning of a tune, but stopped suddenly, hesitating as if scared to continue.

Brown eyes trembled and filled with water which were angrily brushed away. 

Garnet wanted to remember him, but she did not want to cry, that was too much like mourning him and that would almost confirm her worst thoughts that he was dead. She had to keep it firm in her mind that he _would _come back. 

She hadn't been able to play their song since her return without crying.

She tried to think of something else, as her fingers danced across the keys, chiming out a new tune lazily.

Where had she heard that tune before? She frowned to herself until the memory returned to her.

Of course, it was a song from a Tantalus production when she had been about 10 years old. A song she had been taught on the piano after the play had been performed to her. Garnet tried to remember if a young Zidane had been in the play, but the memory was faded in her mind, all except for the song. Taking a deep breath, she began to play.

Zidane smiled and began to sing quietly, and weakly in the dry air.

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For all those times you stood by me;

For all the truth that you made me see;

The sun still beat down, but Zidane didn't care. He could see her face on the day when he'd finally realised the truth about his feelings for her. Cut off hair blowing away in the wind she had smiled at him, and it was then that he knew.

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For all the joy brought to my life;

For all the wrong you made right;

For every dream you made true;

For all the love I found in you;

No matter the difficulties he'd been in, she'd been there backing him up with her magic and her kind words and interest in him.

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I'll be forever thankful lady;

You're the one who helped me up,

Never let me fall.

You're the one who saw through;

Through it all.

She had seen through all his boyish flirting and bravado, and he had realised that he didn't need to use those things to gain her affection.

Garnet's voice echoed through the marble halls of the palace, eyes closed she sang with love and passion.

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You were my strength when I was weak;

You were my voice when I couldn't speak;

She could still remember the day she had woken up to find out that her voice had gone. And the way he had tried to look after her, and how he was the one who had given her strength to come to terms with her grief.

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You were my eyes when I couldn't see;

You saw the best there was of me;

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach;

You gave me faith cause you believed;

I'm everything I am, because you loved me.

She knew she had become a better person because of him. She realised how blind and sheltered she'd been before she'd met him. He'd shown her the world, and had given her encouragement to live life the best way possible.

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You gave me wings and made me fly;

You touched my hand I could touch the sky.

I lost my faith, you gave it back to me;

You said my star wasn't out of reach.

She smiled, eyes still closed as she recalled his unfailing optimism and determination. He'd given them all the strength to carry on through their journey, especially her.

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You stood by me, and I stood tall;

I had your love, I had it all.

I'm grateful for each day you gave me;

Maybe I don't know that much, but I know this much is true,

I was blessed because I was loved by you.

His voice was gaining strength, as he strode across the hot sand. And happy memories were increasing his resolve.

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You were my strength when I was weak;

You were my voice when I couldn't speak.

He still remembered when he had tried to fight a huge monster alone after being defeated by Garland in Terra. Feeling defeated and weakened, he had thought death was going to come to him, just like he had felt lying in the sand, but even back then she had been there backing him up, healing him.

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You were my eyes when I couldn't see;

You saw the best there was of me.

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach;

You gave me faith cause you believed.

I'm everything I am, because you loved me.

There were times when even his optimism had failed, but her unfailing trust in him had boosted his morale and given him determination to carry on. He realised that she had affected his life in such a profound way, that he felt incomplete when she wasn't there to ask him questions and put her faith in him.

He was so into the song now that he could practically hear the music of the piano echoing across the open space. A vivid image of Dagger entered his mind suddenly. Not like the hazy images his mind was dredging up from the past, but perfect and bright like he knew her to be.

She was seated at her piano, hands dancing over the ivory keys. Eyes closed and mouth wide, he realised she was singing. He could practically hear her voice too now.

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You were always there for me, the tender wind that carried me;

A sudden determined breeze fluttered around her, disturbing the sheet music neatly pled beside the piano, causing the sheets of paper to fly around the room. She didn't care, so engrossed in her memories she was that she realised she could practically see him. Alone and lost she saw him walking across endless gold. Suddenly the breeze which tweaked her hair and brushed across her face had the warmth and smell of the desert.

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Back in the dark, shining your love into my mind.

He sang on, still seeing her seated at her piano, singing the same song he was. Lifting her face as her dark hair fluttered she was harmonising with him. He had pictured her in a similar way when he had been lost in darkness for so long, kept alive by the knowledge that she loved him.

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You've been my inspiration;

The scent of scorched sand and heat wafted around her.

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Through the lies you heard the truth.

He felt like he could reach out and touch her perfect face.

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My world is a better place because of you.

She could see the emotions on his face as he lifted his face to sing the next line, and felt a sudden longing to be near him surge through her.

Why had he tried to save them all, down to the very last person? Sacrificing his own feelings to do what was right, sacrificing his own freedom to be with his friends and her. He _had _made the world right for _everyone_, even her except for the fact that he wasn't here.

The music rushed around him, and her voice echoed in his skull. And suddenly he wasn't walking across the never-ending dunes, but he was somewhere else. He was with her.

She felt the music surge around her and suddenly she had the sensation of air rushing past her at impossible speeds, as the music caught her up and carried her along. She realised she was no seated at her piano although the music still played. She was in his arms.

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You were my strength when I was weak;

You were my voice when I couldn't speak.

You were my eyes when I couldn't see;

You saw the best there was of me.

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach;

You gave me faith cause you believed.

I'm everything I am, because you loved me.

She could feel his lips on hers, and suddenly the sensation of movement grabbed her and she couldn't feel his arms around her anymore.

He kissed her gently, but suddenly found himself flying back to where he had come, and she was gone.

He was lying on the desert sand once more, and he briefly cursed himself for being so weak. Bracing himself he got to his feet waiting for the screams of protest from his muscles, only to find that for the first time since he'd left his companions, there was no pain.

He frowned, wondering how this was, but decided that he had fallen asleep on the sand through exhaustion… he had been dreaming that she was with him. Dreaming that they were singing together. Smiling slightly to himself, he walked on.

She opened her eyes to find she was lying on the floor of her room beside her piano stool. Her head was hurting, and so she realised that she must have fainted and banged her head. Probably because she was thinking about Zidane again. Just the thought of him made her feel dizzy sometimes. Maybe that was why she'd dreamed about being with him. She frowned as she suddenly realised that the thought of him didn't bring it's usual sadness, but instead she felt… happy when she thought of him.

Shaking her head confusedly, she began to pick up the sheets of paper strewn across the floor, she was smiling.

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Authors Notes and Disclaimer: I do not own any of the FF9 chars, they are the property of Squaresoft. The song belongs to Celine Dion and has the same title as this story.

Well what do you think? Yes I know it's a sappy Celine Dion song (no offense to any die hard fans out there) but my dad was playing the album and I suddenly realised how much some of the songs apply to the romance stories in the Final Fantasies, so this is 1 of 3 song-fics. If you liked this one then you might like one of the others. Please read and review, constructive criticism is very welcome 'cause there's always someway something can be improved. Thanx for reading,


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